Shopping for large numbers of items can be a tiring experience. In addition to long lines and slow service, carrying the already purchased items in the shopping bag provided can be difficult and often impossible for people with hand disorders such as arthritis. The flexible handles provided on most flexible shopping bags can dig into unprotected hands leaving painful and unsightly marks. It would be a benefit, therefore, to have a personal handle, which could be carried with the shopper and detachably affixed to the existing handles of a shopping bag, that would eliminate the occurrence of these painful unsightly marks.
The following patents are illustrative of various attempts made to solve this problem.
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor ______________________________________ 5,257,845 McConnell 5,199,758 Hewell 5,005,891 Lunsford 3,913,172 Richards Des. 329,973 Schuttings Des. 314,150 Preciutti ______________________________________
McConnell discloses a detachable hand grip for carrying bags and the like that includes a flexible flat body having a slit extending from each end for receiving the flexible handles of a shopping bag.
Hewell discloses a rigid carrier apparatus for carrying packages formed in the configuration of a tubular body having opposite ends and a slot spiraling through the body between the opposite ends.
Lunsford discloses a bag handle apparatus comprising a thin sheet of semi-rigid flexible material having a locking tab formed on one end, and a locking slot formed in a second end of the sheet. The locking tab lockingly engages the locking slot to hold the bag handle apparatus in a generally arcuate shape about one or more bag handles.
Richards discloses an elongated block including a longitudinal channel therein opening outwardly of one longitudinal side of the block as well as its opposite ends. The channel may receive rope or equivalent shopping bag handles therein and a closure panel extending longitudinally of the block is provided for closing channel.
Schuttings discloses a handle for shopping bags having a contoured finger grip. Preciutti discloses a carrying handle for grocery bags having a slotted section for receiving individual bag handles and an elastic band for securing the handles within each slot.
All of the above mentioned devices include rigid or semi-rigid elements which may come into contact with the bag handle and cause the bag handle to break. In addition, because of the rigid nature of these devices they can be uncomfortable to store and carry when not in use. It would be desirable, therefore, to have a detachable shopping bag handle which did not include any rigid parts in contact with the shopping bag handle and which was comfortably stored and carried within a pocket when not in use.